Spike



M. K. SESSLER.

SPIKE.

APPUCATION FILED JULYZQ, 1919- r! Patented June 7, 1921.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARCEL K. SESSLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SPIKE COMPANY. INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Application filed July 23, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARCEL K. SnssLER, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Spikes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to driven fasteners and is particularly applicable to spikes for securing rails in position. The principal object of my invention is to provide a fastener which shall embody, in a driven fastener, certain features of a screw fastener, and in this manner shall resist extraction without appreciably increasing the force required for insertion.

In the drawings which accompany this specification and form a part thereof I have illustrated one form which my invention may assume and for this illustration I have chosen a railway spike. In these drawings:

Figure 1 represents a top plan view of this form of my invention;

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 represents a bottom end view thereof; While- Fig. 4 represents a. section upon the line 1-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In these drawings I have illustrated a spike comprising a head 11 and a body 12. This head may be provided with a convex upper surface 13 carrying at its center a raised portion 14; positioned to receive the blow of the driving mallet. The under side of the head may be beveled, as indicated at 15. w

Extending from under the side of the head 11 is the body 12 and this body is shown as connected to the head by means of a smooth neck 16. Below this neck the body portion is distorted to provide a plurality of fins 17 formed as illustrated in Fig. 4C. These fins extend longitudinally along the body, are preferably four in number, spiral, and equally spaced around the periphery of the body, and are preferably continuous. The upper face 18 of each fin is preferably a relatively fiat surface which is at all points radial of the axis of the spike and is of an increasing radial depth from the throat to the tip of the spike. The lower face of each fin is shown as a continuous convex surface 19 which directly meets the upper face of the succeeding fin at a sub- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 7, 1921.

Serial No. 312,793.

stantial angle which is preferably ninety degrees or greater. At the lower end of the spike the convex surface of each fin may be provided with a beveled face 20 which preferably meets the upper plane face of the fin in a line radial of the axis of the body of the spike and perpendicular thereto. By adopting this construction the tip of the spike will consist of a chisel face for each fin, all radiating from a common center on the axis of the spike. It is to be noted that in the claims which follow at the end of this specification the word upper is used to refer to the face 18 of the fin which faces toward the head of the spike, and the word lower is used to refer to the face 19 of the fin which faces toward the point of the spike.

From the above description it will be understood that in driving this form of spike the chisel edges will cut a path through the wood into which the spike is being driven which will facilitate entry of the spike. The plane faces adjacent these chisel edges will at all times resist rotation of the spike. In attempting to withdraw the spike these faces will again tend to hold the spike against twisting while the direct outward movement of the spike will be opposed by the contact of the plane upper faces of the fins with the wood which has sprung back after the insertion of the spike to bear against these upper faces.

The specific embodiment of my invention herein disclosed is for purposes of i1lustration and my invention is, therefore, in no way limited thereto.

I claim:

1. A spike comprising a head and a body, said body being formed to leave four outstanding spiral fins each having a convex lower face and a relatively fiat upper face which meets the convex face of the next fin at approximately right angles, said flat face having an increasing radial depth as the tip is approached and terminating in four chisel faces arrai'iged radially about the axis of said spike.

2. In a spike, a circular head and a body, said body comprising four fins equally spaced and extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins having a total twist of approximately forty-five degrees, each of said fins being provided with an upper relatively flat face which is loo at all points substantially radial of the axis of said body and with a lower convex face which meets the fiat face of the adjacent fin at approximately right angles, each of said flat faces having an increasing radial depth from thepoint near said head where said faces originate to the tip of said body where each of said fins forms a chisel edge.

3. In a spike, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins being provided with an upper relatively fiat face which is at all points substantially radial of the axis of said body and with a lower convex face which meets the flat face of the adjacent fin at a substantial angle, said fiat face having an increasing radial depth from the point near said head where said faces originate to the tip of said body where each of said fins forms a chisel edge.

4. In a driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins being provided with a relatively flat face which is at all points substantially radial of the axis of said body, and a convex face.

5. In a driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins being provided with an upper face which is at all points substantially radial of the axis of said body, and with a lower face which meets the upper face ofthe adjacent fin at a substantial angle.

6. In a driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins being )rovided with two faces one of which has a gradually increasing depth from near said head to the tip of said body.

7. In a, driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of sald fins being provided with two faces, one of which is relatively flat and has a gradually increas ing depth from near said head to the tip of said body.

8. In a driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins having two facesone of which is at all points substantially radial and has a gradually increasing depth from a point near said head to a point near the tip of said body.

9. In a driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins being provided with two faces, one of which is at all points substantially radial and the other of which meets said radial face at substantially right angles.

10. In a driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins being provided with a surface which is at all points substantially radial and which has a gradually increasing depth from a point near the head to-a point near the tip of said body, the direction of said fins being such that each of said surfaces faces toward the head of said fastener.

11. In a driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins being provided with an upper face which is at all points substantially radial and terminating in a chisel edge.

12. In a driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins being provided with an upper face which is at all points substantially radial, and with a lower convex face which meets the upper face of the adjacent fin at a substantial angle.

13. In a driven fastener, a head and a body, said body comprising a plurality of spaced fins extending spirally longitudinally of said body, each of said fins being provided with an upper face which is at all points substantially radial and with a lower face which is convex and terminating in a chisel edge.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 18th day of July, 1919.

MARCEL K. SESSLER. 

